
Sushant Singh Rajput’s swan song, Dil Bechara, released on Friday evening. Also starring Sanjana Sanghi in the lead role, the Mukesh Chhabra directorial is an official Hindi remake of John Green’s romantic novel The Fault in Our Stars. The book was earlier adapted into a 2014 Hollywood movie, starring Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley in the lead roles.
Dil Bechara is about Immanuel Rajkumar Junior (Sushant) and Kizie Basu (Sanjana). While Kizie has thyroid cancer, Immanuel suffers from osteosarcoma. The story touches upon themes like suffering, life and death, being different, existentialism among more.
In her review of Dil Bechara, The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta wrote, “A life-threatening disease plus sparkling young lives plus romance is a ready-made recipe for winsome smiles plus tugging-at-the-heart-strings plus tears. But the film is beset by choppiness, and that colours the characters of the Rajinikanth-loving, very filmi Manny and the sweet Kizie, who adores an obscure singer, him more than her. Manny is much older than Kizie, and the film makes a faint stab at an explanation, and then forgets about it; the film-within-a-film thread is more laughable than anything else.”
She added, “A trip to Paris, where the reclusive singer (Khan, in a what-was-that cameo) is holed up, is part of the plot. It also includes Kizzie’s loving parents (Mukherjee and Chatterjee, both good), her well-meaning doctor (Tandon). There’s Manny’s cancer-survivor bestie (Vaid), who is losing his sight. There’s his grandma, and parents, who are seen very briefly: why? Why so little detailing of the leading man? No good reasons are given. Choppy and lopsided aren’t great ways to give us a complete, soul-satisfying young love story, which switches on only sporadically. It is the occasional sweetness that Rajput and Sanghi manage to rustle up that carries the film.”
Raj Kummar Rao shared, "#DilBechara broke my heart once again. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt film. A Brilliant performance by #Sushant ❤️ His charm and energy is unmatchable & that beautiful smile, Our Superstar ❤️❤️.Such a wonderful debut by @castingchhabra & @sanjanasanghi96
you are amazing in the film."